Stewart, New York’s Other International Airport

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Roughly ninety percent of our media relations articles are of little interest to me, but this one caught my eye just now as I browsed my inbox.
I remember my first landing at Stewart with my instructor. We flew from the flight school at TEB up to Orange Co. airport where I practiced landings, etc. Then we hopped over to Stewart and on approach, I remember how amazing it was to see such a huge runway from the cockpit of a Skyhawk!

Landed there as well as POU a few times after getting my PPL.
Love the terrain and Hudson river in this area.


Throwback Thursday: Stewart, New York’s Other International Airport

Posted on June 15, 2017 by PANYNJ PORTfolio
By Roz Hamlett and Ashley Germinario, Media Relations Staff

Until now, the only thing missing from Stewart International Airport was the international. With the commencement today of scheduled low-cost flights to Europe on Norwegian Airlines, the one-time U.S. Air Force base joins the Port Authority’s network of truly intercontinental airports.

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Stewart International Airport is strategically located north of the ‘Big Three’ Port Authority airports: Newark Liberty International (EWR), LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Westchester County Airport (HPN) is county owned and not operated by the Port Authority.

But without the forward thinking of one influential aviation enthusiast, the former sprawl of upstate New York farmland might never have become an airport, let alone an emerging player in international commercial flight.

In 1930, Archie Stewart had the remarkable foresight to convince his uncle, Samuel Lachlan Stewart, to donate more than 200 acres of the family’s farmland to the city of Newburgh for an airport. Commercial aviation was on the rise, and Stewart reasoned that the city would need an airport for its economy to grow.

The first big boost came four years later when the U.S. Military Academy at West Point built the first airfield for cadet aviation training at the behest of its superintendent, Douglas MacArthur (the same MacArthur who would later distinguish himself as a five-star general during World War II).

During the Cold War years of the 1950s, a concrete spy bunker – one of 22 constructed nationwide – allowed the Air Force to monitor the activity of enemy planes. The air base was deactivated in 1970, with the state of New York acquiring the land and turning the airport in the direction of commercial aviation.

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From this nondescript concrete building, the Air Force monitored the activities of enemy airplanes.

It was then-New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller who, after seeing the long runways, envisioned the airport’s potential as a hub for intercontinental flights. After its closure as an air force base, Rockefeller put together an ambitious plan to expand and develop the airport.

In 1985, W.R. Grace built the first corporate hangar, becoming the first private company to invest in the airport, and several businesses began operations there during the decade. In 1989, American Airlines announced the beginning of scheduled domestic flight service at Stewart, followed by American Eagle and United Express.

That same year, the airport opened a 50,000-square-foot air cargo building, and the U.S. Postal Service began operating its new mail distribution facility. In 2000, Stewart signed a 99-year lease with National Express Corporation, becoming the first privatized commercial airport. At the time, the only international flights from Stewart were seasonal charter flights to Cancun.

The PA purchased the lease in 2007 from National Express and made the airport part of the region’s airport system. Through more than $180 million in investments, the Port Authority transformed the airport into an efficient transportation hub with convenient parking, shorter lines, and personalized customer service – an experience not always possible in the region’s larger airports.

After being underused for years with just a handful of carriers offering a limited number of flights, the airport is emerging as ‘New York’s Other Airport.’
 
Cool info... thanks for providing it.
 
I love Stewart airport and have flown there many times. It's always fun to watch the giant military planes around the area as you taxi after landing.

I once heard that Stewart was used as a backup airport for the space shuttle launches and was the only viable option for a space shuttle landing in case the airport in Florida was actually unusable for whatever reason. A flight instructor told me this. I wonder if anyone knows if it's true or not. Given the article left it out maybe it is not.
 
I love Stewart airport and have flown there many times. It's always fun to watch the giant military planes around the area as you taxi after landing.

I once heard that Stewart was used as a backup airport for the space shuttle launches and was the only viable option for a space shuttle landing in case the airport in Florida was actually unusable for whatever reason. A flight instructor told me this. I wonder if anyone knows if it's true or not. Given the article left it out maybe it is not.
Yes, Stewart as well as JFK if I recall. I used to follow and record the shuttle missions on NASA TV. I have a book on the STS program. I'll have to dig it out and double check on JFK, but I know Stewart was for sure.

+1 on the military planes. I'm not sure if any are still based there now.

This is the book if you're interested. It's awesome.
STS.jpg
 
Good story. I used to live just south of Fishkill.

All that said, I would not consider SWF to be a NYC airport. Not surprising that the PA got their tentacles on it - more revenue to dump into the bridges and tunnels - but it would have to be a very exceptional deal to make me want to go 65 miles upstate (allow no less than 90 minutes) to SWF if I lived in the city. Not a lot in terms of public transportation, either. Taxi fare: prohibitive, unless you take the Hudson Line to Beacon and then take a taxi/transport from there.

It is a nice airport, and the area around it is beautiful, and I might well have used it when I lived near there, but no way I consider it a NYC airport.
 
As a Long Island flyer for the past twelve years, I had no idea that Gabreski was one of the ECALs (East Coast Abort Landing) sites. Looks like NASA added a lot of these after the Challenger disaster. Interesting stuff!
Landing the Shuttle in X-Plane10 was one of my favorite fun things to try. Haven't fired it up in XP11 yet, but when I do, now I'll have to try to put it down at Gabreski ;).
See what you've done now jspilot??? LOL



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_abort_modes#Post-Challenger_abort_enhancements

"Another post-Challenger enhancement was the addition of East Coast/Bermuda abort landings (ECAL/BDA). High-inclination launches (including all ISS missions) would have been able to reach an emergency runway on the East Coast of North America under certain conditions. Lower-inclination launches would have landed in Bermuda.

An ECAL/BDA abort was similar to RTLS, but instead of landing at the Kennedy Space Center, the orbiter would attempt to land at another site along the east coast of North America (in the case of ECAL) or Bermuda (in the case of BDA). Various potential ECAL landing sites extended from South Carolina into Newfoundland, Canada. The designated landing site in Bermuda was
Naval Air Station Bermuda (a United States Navy facility). ECAL/BDA was a contingency abort that was less desirable than an intact abort, primarily because there was so little time to choose the landing site and prepare for the orbiter's arrival. All of the pre-designated sites were either military airfields or joint civil/military facilities. ECAL emergency sites were not as well equipped to accommodate an orbiter landing as those prepared for RTLS and TAL aborts.[10] The sites were not staffed with NASA employees or contractors and the staff working there were given no special training to handle a Shuttle landing. If they were ever needed, the Shuttle pilots would have had to rely on regular air traffic control personnel using procedures similar to those used to land a gliding aircraft that has suffered complete engine failure.

Numerous other abort refinements were added, mainly involving improved software for managing vehicle energy in various abort scenarios. These enabled a greater chance of reaching an emergency runway for various SSME failure scenarios."
United States





    • Other locations
      "In the event of an emergency deorbit that would bring the orbiter down in an area not within range of a designated emergency landing site, the orbiter was theoretically capable of landing on any paved runway that was at least 3 km (9,800 ft) long, which included the majority of large commercial airports. In practice, a US or allied military airfield would have been preferred for reasons of security arrangements and minimizing the disruption of commercial air traffic."
 
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Yes, Stewart as well as JFK if I recall. I used to follow and record the shuttle missions on NASA TV. I have a book on the STS program. I'll have to dig it out and double check on JFK, but I know Stewart was for sure.

+1 on the military planes. I'm not sure if any are still based there now.

This is the book if you're interested. It's awesome.
View attachment 54325

Thanks for confirming this! It's now even cooler to land there! It's really absurd how giant that runway is-- especially in a 172!
 
Thanks for confirming this! It's now even cooler to land there! It's really absurd how giant that runway is-- especially in a 172!
Yep, especially as a low-time student seeing it for the first time. That's one thing I really thank my initial instructor for. He introduced me to a lot of cool airports in the NJ, NY, PA and CT area! Some of my favorites and most scenic due to the surrounding landscape were.. Stewart, Morristown, Danbury and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
 
I love Stewart airport and have flown there many times. It's always fun to watch the giant military planes around the area as you taxi after landing.

I once heard that Stewart was used as a backup airport for the space shuttle launches and was the only viable option for a space shuttle landing in case the airport in Florida was actually unusable for whatever reason. A flight instructor told me this. I wonder if anyone knows if it's true or not. Given the article left it out maybe it is not.
Maybe, but there are other official backups of which only 2 were ever used - Edwards in SoCal ( and used frequently) and White Sands, used only once. I've got the Shuttle Ops book also, but the official list is on NASA website at https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/landing_sites.html

I have a serious problem believing most of the list pointed to on wikipedia (3rd party website) are acceptable landing sites even in emergencies. Example - Ft Huachuca is and Army base, has always been an Army base, and has no runways of any type. It "shares" with the city of Sierra Vista. Nice long runway but not great.
 
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Maybe, but there are other official backups of which only 2 were ever used - Edwards in SoCal ( and used frequently) and White Sands, used only once. I've got the Shuttle Ops book also, but the official list is on NASA website at https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/landing_sites.html

I have a serious problem believing most of the list pointed to on wikipedia (3rd party website) are acceptable landing sites even in emergencies. Example - Ft Huachuca is and Army base, has always been an Army base, and has no runways of any type. It "shares" with the city of Sierra Vista. Nice long runway but not great.
I'm no NASA expert, but I would think that in an emergency, ANY runway long enough and strong enough would be considered acceptable.
Remember, we're talking about "last ditch efforts", not ideal conditions.

According to Wayne Hale, these ECALs are contingency landing sites in the event of a loss of up to two of the three main engines. Between launch and 2 1/2 minutes. After which they would aim for a TAL (transatlantic landing) site.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/waynehalesblog/2008/11/14/post_1226699638713/
"If two of the SSMEs quit but one remains running, there are some options to steer toward the east coast of the United States and land at an emergency airfield somewhere on the Atlantic Coast of North America. However, many of these trajectories result in entry conditions that exceed the capability of the shuttle orbiter either thermally or structurally: black zones. The possibility of executing a successful East Coast Abort Landing (ECAL) is far from guaranteed, but in that situation it is worth a try. What is the other choice? If the shuttle doesn't break up or burn up on the steep ballistic trajectory for an ECAL there is every reason to believe that a safe landing will occur. That is sort of a big "if", however.

If three SSMEs quit all at once, there is real trouble. There is little to no way to control trajectory and the black zones get immense. In some lucky cases a successful ECAL might result but then you are not really having a lucky day if all three engines quit, are you?

My least favorite abort is a low alpha (low angle of attack) stretch to try to cross the Atlantic and make it to Ireland or someplace. These multiple-engine-out aborts result in extreme heating on the wing leading edge and the RCC panels are likely to fail. Another thing to try if there are no other options.

And of course, if the whole stack comes apart, its game over. Don't even talk about a failure of a Solid Rocket Booster, either.
So the shuttle has a lot of capability compared with other rockets -- and a lot less capability than any capsules."
 
I love Stewart airport and have flown there many times. It's always fun to watch the giant military planes around the area as you taxi after landing.

I once heard that Stewart was used as a backup airport for the space shuttle launches and was the only viable option for a space shuttle landing in case the airport in Florida was actually unusable for whatever reason. A flight instructor told me this. I wonder if anyone knows if it's true or not. Given the article left it out maybe it is not.

No, not true. Edwards was a primary landing site, and Vandenberg and White Sands were always available as backups.

There are several abort landing sites along the East Coast, none of them Stewart.
 
I love Stewart airport and have flown there many times. It's always fun to watch the giant military planes around the area as you taxi after landing.
Yeah, Stewart was one of the airports that I landed at when I did my long CC solo. I landed , got off the runway, and was taxiing to take off again, and thought it was a good idea to take a few pics of the C-130 or whatever the big grey military plane was. All was good until I realized that I was going off the taxiway left. Oops. Note to self: Don't take pics while taxiing.
 
So, for those who live north of NYC, will Stewart take some of the load of the other three airports to NYC?
My question is for those of us who connect threw LGA/JFK to Europe, will this become a viable/low cost alternative?

Tim
 
So, for those who live north of NYC, will Stewart take some of the load of the other three airports to NYC?
My question is for those of us who connect threw LGA/JFK to Europe, will this become a viable/low cost alternative?

Tim
I guess that remains to be seen. Looks like an "alternative", but in my experience, "low cost" and Port Authority are not to be used in the same sentence!

Not to mention that we (IBEW) have been without a contract (despite ever increasing tolls) in a little more than a decade!
Thanks to two idiots, one in Trenton and the other in Albany...... but that's another topic:rolleyes:
 
So, for those who live north of NYC, will Stewart take some of the load of the other three airports to NYC?
My question is for those of us who connect threw LGA/JFK to Europe, will this become a viable/low cost alternative?

Tim
Probably not unless they do a major overhaul to the terminal. I've flown in there both GA and with the airline many times. The current terminal wouldn't be able to support the flights.
 
Many non-PATH Port Authority employees work without contracts, officials cite financial limits

"The next time you touch down at Newark Liberty International Airport, settling between gleaming rows of red and green landing lights that guide the big jets in and out of the sky every two minutes, the members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers wouldn’t mind a little "Thank you."

Among the 7,000 employees of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are 200 or so electricians who belong to IBEW Local 3. "We keep those taxiways and runways lit," says Rich Gonzalo, chairman of the local’s Port Authority division. "We have problems every day or every week, where cables burn up in the ground and we have to go out and find the fault and then we have to replace the cable and get the equipment back on line."

But if the electricians are important, Gonzalo said Port Authority management doesn’t make them feel that way. The union’s most recent contract, a four-year deal calling for annual raises of 4.3 percent, expired in June 2006.
The IBEW has a lot of company. Of the 13 unions representing non-PATH employees of the Port Authority, 10 are without contracts.
The port agency insists that, while it’s eager to settle with its unions, the tough economic times limit what it can now offer."
 
I love Stewart airport and have flown there many times. It's always fun to watch the giant military planes around the area as you taxi after landing.

I once heard that Stewart was used as a backup airport for the space shuttle launches and was the only viable option for a space shuttle landing in case the airport in Florida was actually unusable for whatever reason. A flight instructor told me this. I wonder if anyone knows if it's true or not. Given the article left it out maybe it is not.

This is true. SWF has one of the longest runways on the East Coast.
Air Force One uses SWF, regularly when they are in the area.
I live on the other side of the river, and my house is in the flight path for RWY 27.
It's great to watch the big iron flying over.
 
This is true. SWF has one of the longest runways on the East Coast.
Air Force One uses SWF, regularly when they are in the area.
I live on the other side of the river, and my house is in the flight path for RWY 27.
It's great to watch the big iron flying over.

I was flying in there on final to 27 in an RJ doing LOE training in early 2002 and the other pilot pointed out that the 9-11 hijackers were in this area a few months ago flying down the Hudson to NYC on that terrible day.

Also saw Travolta's 707 parked there on a few occasions.

For those that don't know, it was an Air Force base prior to closing in 1970 I believe. Not sure if the Air Force had fighters there or not but the base had an air defense mission at one time.
 
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Landed at SWF a few times during my training. I sware you could probably do multiple touch and goes all on that looong runway :)
 
SWF is a nice airport. I rode US Air in and out of there a couple times when our fraternity had leadership training (I was a facilitator) near there.
 
I was flying in there on final to 27 in an RJ doing LOE training in early 2002 and the other pilot pointed out that the 9-11 hijackers were in this area a few months ago flying down the Hudson to NYC on that terrible day.

Also saw Travolta's 707 parked there on a few occasions.

For those that don't know, it was an Air Force base prior to closing in 1970 I believe. Not sure if the Air Force had fighters there or not but the base had an air defense mission at one time.

It was a fighter base prior to closing.
Some wild and woolly antics by the pilots there.
 
It was a fighter base prior to closing.
Some wild and woolly antics by the pilots there.

So your saying typical behavior by fighter jocks right? ;):D

And I know quite a few from my ATC days in the USAF.
 
Problem is, Port Authority has control of it. They are greedy, corrupt, and incompetent.
 
So your saying typical behavior by fighter jocks right? ;):D

And I know quite a few from my ATC days in the USAF.

As a kid, I was standing in my front yard when a Jock flew into the deep, closed, valley my neighborhood is built into, and take my next door neighbor's TV antenna down with the right leading edge of the F-84 he was flying.
It was the talk of the town for many a day, take my word for it.
It turned out he was the brother-in-law of the guy who had his antenna guillotined. I got to meet him, and spoke to him many times over the years.
Initially, they were going to convene a courts martial and can his backside, when someone asked how in the world did he get that plane into and out of that tiny little space?
It turns out he had figured out how to make the F-84 do something it was never designed to do.
In the end they slapped him on the wrist and made him an instructor.
 
Great story Shep and I totally believe it, especially back in those days. Were F-106s based there? Probably too far inland for the air defense mission I'd guess. I'm sure you've been to Rhinebeck haven't you? I finally got to go about 10 years ago. Amazing those old planes were flying.
 
Problem is, Port Authority has control of it. They are greedy, corrupt, and incompetent.
As a 31 year employee, maintaining the high voltage electrical systems and lighting of two major airports (EWR & LGA), as well as the high voltage ventilation systems of both tunnels (13.8KV)...

Working for the past 12 years without a contract....
And as someone who takes pride in my work...
When it comes to the Executive Directors and top brass over the years, I couldn't agree more!!!
 
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As a kid, I was standing in my front yard when a Jock flew into the deep, closed, valley my neighborhood is built into, and take my next door neighbor's TV antenna down with the right leading edge of the F-84 he was flying.
It was the talk of the town for many a day, take my word for it.
It turned out he was the brother-in-law of the guy who had his antenna guillotined. I got to meet him, and spoke to him many times over the years.
Initially, they were going to convene a courts martial and can his backside, when someone asked how in the world did he get that plane into and out of that tiny little space?
It turns out he had figured out how to make the F-84 do something it was never designed to do.
In the end they slapped him on the wrist and made him an instructor.

Great story, got any pictures laying around?
 
Great story, got any pictures laying around?

I think there might have a picture of me as a kid with Captain Reynolds, the pilot in question. Next trip to my parent's/brother's house and I'll take a look.
 
Problem is, Port Authority has control of it. They are greedy, corrupt, and incompetent.
The history there is interesting to the folks down the river at KHPN where the County executive is currently pushing the idea of privatization.

Stewart was the only airport in the 50 states to every fully try 'privatization' per the program the FAA setup in the 90s--the program Rob Astorino in Westchester is desperately trying to convince people is a great idea. Many other airports started the processes and then bailed upon closer inspection and consideration.

Long story short, Stewart was leased out for something like 100 years to a British company and the state took a wad of cash from it. Management under the private lessee was total disaster. The company quickly realized that the airport wasn't going to make as much money as they had hoped and basically just started running a bare bones operation. The airport was reportedly losing millions a year. The state couldn't get stakeholders to allow them to take the money they got from the airport off for other uses so they used it to build bigger roads into the airport for passengers that never came.

With the airport losing money under a private investor that was desperate to get out and no financially smart private buyers interested in taking it over the Port Authority rode in on their magic carpet and bought the rest of the lease out from the private lessee. Despite the fact that the private company did a terrible job running the airport and the airport was losing tons of money each year the Port Authority paid a significant premium, handing the private company a huge profit to walk away. All that money the state got up front was blown on building roads that are barely used.

In the end, citizens in the Port Authority's catchment zones ended up bailing out this private deal handing the private company a profit of tens of millions for running the airport into the ground and now the region has yet another airport under the "greedy, corrupt, and incompetent" management of the NY/NJ Port Authority.

(and if you think that characterization is unfair just google such terms as "bridgegate" or "chairman's flight from newark" to see the sorts of things they've been up to!)
 
The history there is interesting to the folks down the river at KHPN where the County executive is currently pushing the idea of privatization.

Stewart was the only airport in the 50 states to every fully try 'privatization' per the program the FAA setup in the 90s--the program Rob Astorino in Westchester is desperately trying to convince people is a great idea. Many other airports started the processes and then bailed upon closer inspection and consideration.

Long story short, Stewart was leased out for something like 100 years to a British company and the state took a wad of cash from it. Management under the private lessee was total disaster. The company quickly realized that the airport wasn't going to make as much money as they had hoped and basically just started running a bare bones operation. The airport was reportedly losing millions a year. The state couldn't get stakeholders to allow them to take the money they got from the airport off for other uses so they used it to build bigger roads into the airport for passengers that never came.

With the airport losing money under a private investor that was desperate to get out and no financially smart private buyers interested in taking it over the Port Authority rode in on their magic carpet and bought the rest of the lease out from the private lessee. Despite the fact that the private company did a terrible job running the airport and the airport was losing tons of money each year the Port Authority paid a significant premium, handing the private company a huge profit to walk away. All that money the state got up front was blown on building roads that are barely used.

In the end, citizens in the Port Authority's catchment zones ended up bailing out this private deal handing the private company a profit of tens of millions for running the airport into the ground and now the region has yet another airport under the "greedy, corrupt, and incompetent" management of the NY/NJ Port Authority.

(and if you think that characterization is unfair just google such terms as "bridgegate" or "chairman's flight from newark" to see the sorts of things they've been up to!)

That's the story of the place, in a nutshell.
It's become my wife's private airfield for trips to Nashville to visit her mother and sister. Get there 30 minutes before a flight. Say "Hi Phil, hi Gloria" to the TSA people, Walk through the metal detector and go.
 
As a 31 year employee, maintaining the high voltage electrical systems and lighting of two major airports (EWR & LGA), as well as the high voltage ventilation systems of both tunnels (13.8KV)...

Working for the past 12 years without a contract....
And as someone who takes pride in my work...
When it comes to the Executive Directors and top brass over the years, I couldn't agree more!!!

So you understand why they are called the 6th mafia family in NY.
 
So you understand why they are called the 6th mafia family in NY.
Never knew that, lol.

Love my line of work and always have, but not the BS of this agency. I'll be getting out in three years when I turn 55;).
Could retire now with 30yrs, but full pension doesn't kick in until 55. My brother-in-law just left last year with only 20yrs, PAPD Sergeant. Police only have to do 20.
He couldn't be happier.
 
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The history there is interesting to the folks down the river at KHPN where the County executive is currently pushing the idea of privatization.

Stewart was the only airport in the 50 states to every fully try 'privatization' per the program the FAA setup in the 90s--the program Rob Astorino in Westchester is desperately trying to convince people is a great idea. Many other airports started the processes and then bailed upon closer inspection and consideration.

Long story short, Stewart was leased out for something like 100 years to a British company and the state took a wad of cash from it. Management under the private lessee was total disaster. The company quickly realized that the airport wasn't going to make as much money as they had hoped and basically just started running a bare bones operation. The airport was reportedly losing millions a year. The state couldn't get stakeholders to allow them to take the money they got from the airport off for other uses so they used it to build bigger roads into the airport for passengers that never came.

With the airport losing money under a private investor that was desperate to get out and no financially smart private buyers interested in taking it over the Port Authority rode in on their magic carpet and bought the rest of the lease out from the private lessee. Despite the fact that the private company did a terrible job running the airport and the airport was losing tons of money each year the Port Authority paid a significant premium, handing the private company a huge profit to walk away. All that money the state got up front was blown on building roads that are barely used.

In the end, citizens in the Port Authority's catchment zones ended up bailing out this private deal handing the private company a profit of tens of millions for running the airport into the ground and now the region has yet another airport under the "greedy, corrupt, and incompetent" management of the NY/NJ Port Authority.

(and if you think that characterization is unfair just google such terms as "bridgegate" or "chairman's flight from newark" to see the sorts of things they've been up to!)
Never gave much thought to the operation or politics of it. Interesting, Thanks for sharing.
 
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